Monday, January 31, 2011

BU to square off against Canisius in Bracketbusters

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

The Boston University men's basketball team has been selected to play against Canisius College for the annual BracketBusters weekend, the network announced Monday night.

The Terriers (10-13, 5-4 America East) will be participating in a BracketBusters game for the third year in a row, with the previous two games resulting in wins over Iona University and the University of Delaware.

The Golden Griffins (10-10, 4-6) of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference currently rank 211th in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), a tool used in the process of selecting and seeding teams for the NCAA Tournament. BracketBuster matchups commonly aim to match-up teams with similar RPIs. BU is 207th in the rankings.

The game, which will take place on Feb. 19 at Agganis Arena, was not selected as one that an ESPN network will televise.

BREAKING NEWS: O'Brien will undergo surgery; done for season

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Junior forward Jake O'Brien, team tri-captain and preseason All-America East selection, will miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season with a foot injury, Boston University men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers announced on Monday.

The former Boston College High School standout suffered a fractured navicular bone in his left foot during a Dec. 31 game at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

After medical consultation, O'Brien will undergo season-ending surgery and go through rehab, looking for a return by the start of the 2011-12 season.

A former America East Rookie of the Year, O'Brien, through 14 games this season, was averaging 11.6 points per game to go along with a team-high 5.8 rebounds-per-game. Additionally, he was averaging a career-best 42.4 percent from the field, including a 39.4 percent clip from 3-point range.

The Terriers (10-13, 5-4 AE) will now look to continue to move on without their star forward as they take on the conference-leading University of Maine Black Bears (14-7, 8-1 AE) at Agganis Arena Tuesday night.

From the FreeP: Poor shooting dooms BU against UNH

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

In a season that has been as maddening as it has been promising, the Boston University men’s basketball team, looking to build much-needed momentum after a win last Wednesday over Binghamton University, fell to University of New Hampshire 60-48 last Saturday in Durham, N.H.

UNH guard Tyrone Conley led all scorers with 26 points in helping the Wildcats (9-12, 3-6 America East) snap a seven-game losing streak against the Terriers (10-13, 5-4 AE).

Poor shooting plagued the Terriers throughout the game, as it has done throughout the season, as the team shot 27 percent from the field (14-of-52). For the season, BU has a collective field-goal percentage of 38.6 percent, ranking them 329th of the 347 Division I men’s basketball teams.

"We got some open looks and just didn’t make them," BU head coach Pat Chambers said. "We got the right guys shots, but they didn’t fall. But I give credit to UNH, they played hard, defended well."

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Grading the Terriers: 1/26 vs. Binghamton

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

Freshman forward Dom Morris: A

The freshman forward came up big in his fifth game back from a non-basketball related injury on Wednesday night, tying his career-high of 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting. With Binghamton University down by three with seven seconds left, he pulled down one of his five rebounds off a senior forward Mahamoud Jabbi 3-point attempt and hung on as he was fouled. His two clutch free throws iced the game for the Terriers and wrapped up one of their finest end-of-game performances on the year.

Given the difficult task of defending down low along with junior forward Patrick Hazel and junior center Jeff Pelage, Morris was widely successful. He recorded the only block between the three of them and stayed out of foul trouble. He ended the game with one personal foul while Hazel and Pelage each recorded four.

From the FreeP: Partin, Morris step up in hard-fought victory

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

After fielding a barrage of questions from reporters following the Boston University men’s basketball team’s matchup with Binghamton University, junior guard Darryl Partin arose from his chair and received a well-deserved handshake from BU coach Patrick Chambers.

“Good job, Darryl,” Chambers told him. “See ya, buddy. Get some rest.”

All Partin did was score 13 of his 20 points in the second half to lead the late surge that catapulted the Terriers to a 71-66 victory over the Bearcats Wednesday night at Agganis Arena.

One player not included in the postgame press conference, but whose impact on the game was undeniable, was freshman forward Dom Morris, who finished with a season-high 15 points and aided Partin in completing BU’s comeback.

From the FreeP: Partin the waters

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

It wasn’t always pretty and it wasn’t always effective, but ultimately, the Boston University men’s basketball team was able to perform well enough to claw back from a second half deficit to put away Binghamton University 71-66 Wednesday night at Agganis Arena.

Junior guard Darryl Partin scored 13 second-half points en route to a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds to help the Terriers (10-12, 5-3 America East) pull away from a persistent Bearcat (6-15, 3-5 AE) squad.

“We took another step in the right direction tonight,” said BU head coach Pat Chambers.

Throughout much of the game, it was never entirely certain whether the Terriers would indeed take that step, or rather revert to many of the bad habits that have plagued them throughout the season, particularly in close conference losses to University of Hartford and University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

BU vs. Binghamton Slideshow

All photos by Michael Cummo/DFP Staff

BU-Binghamton Press Conference

BU vs. Binghamton Live Blog



Starting lineups:
Binghamton University Bearcats

F Moussa Camara
F Mahamoud Jabbi
F Taylor Johnston
C Kyrie Sutton
G Jimmy Gray

Boston University Terriers
F Dom Morris
F John Holland
F Patrick Hazel
G Darryl Partin
G D.J. Irving

Final score: BU 71, Binghamton 66

Team leaders:
Points

Binghamton: Mahamoud Jabbi, 22
BU: Darryl Partin, 20

Rebounds
Binghamton: Mahamoud Jabbi, 10
BU: Darryl Partin, 8

Assists
Binghamton: Jimmy Gray, 5
BU: D.J. Irving, 5

From the FreeP: The Late Show

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

The contest will be the second half of a double-header with the BU men’s basketball team at the Greek on Wednesday night, in which both teams will be looking for wins against the Bearcats in their first meetings this season. Tip-offs for the games are scheduled for 7 and 9 p.m., respectively, and while the women’s squad will be looking to extend a seven-game undefeated streak in its game, the men will be playing to keep their all-important AE record above .500.

The Bearcats (6-14, 3-4 AE) come to Agganis Arena carrying a four-game losing streak on their shoulders. After starting conference play with three straight wins against University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Binghamton has spun out of control, defeated in convincing fashion to University of Maine, University of Hartford, University at Albany and University of Vermont. At their lowest point, the Bearcats were doubled up by the Great Danes, 76-37, on Jan. 20.

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

From the FreeP: America East Power Rankings 1/26/11

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

1) University of Maine
A difficult non-conference schedule that included road wins over Penn State University and the University of Massachusetts has translated into an incredibly successful 8-1 start to conference play for Maine. Leading the team in both scoring and rebounding, forward Troy Barnies has worked himself into conference Player of the Year discussion, while guards Gerald McLemore and Raheem Singleton have paced the team’s backcourt. Thanks to performances like these and a blistering start to conference play, what seemed laughable a year and a half ago may now be entirely imminent – Maine may very well, for the first time ever, represent the America East Conference on college basketball’s biggest stage.

2) University of Vermont
Just when many figured the 2010-11 season would be nothing more than a rebuilding effort for a Vermont team dealing with life after Marqus Blakely, Mike Lonergan has again worked his magic in Burlington and made his Catamount team become a conference title contender far more quickly than most expected. Forward Evan Fjeld – and his pronounced mustache – has had a breakout season in the absence of Blakely, posting a team-high 15.9 points. Youth has also served thus far for the Catamounts with the emergence of star freshman Brian Voelkel, who, in addition to being the leading rebounder in the conference, has provided a raw team with about every intangible imaginable.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Irving picks up second Rookie of the Week award

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Mike Alexander. Tunji Awojobi. Raja Bell. Paul Seymour. Tyler Morris. John Holland. Jake O’Brien.

If freshman guard D.J. Irving continues earning America East Rookie of the Week honors at this pace, he could soon add his own name to the list of former and current Boston University men’s basketball players to win the AE Rookie of the Year Award.

For the second time in three weeks, the six-foot native of Chester, Pa., was named the conference’s Rookie of the Week for his performances last week against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Stony Brook University and the University of Hartford.

In three games, Irving averaged 9.3 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds, while knocking down 8-of-18 shots from the field and converting 11-of-12 attempts from the free throw line.

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Monday, January 24, 2011

From the FreeP: BU blows twelve-point lead in loss to Hartford

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team allowed a 36-24 halftime advantage over University of Hartford to evaporate in the second stanza of its game at Chase Arena on Saturday, handing the Hawks their fourth win in America East conference play.

With just 1:29 remaining in the second half, Hawks forward Anthony Minor converted a layup to give the Hawks (7-12, 4-2 AE) a 56-55 edge, a lead they would not surrender. Hartford went on to win 59-55.

“It’s earth-shattering that we’re finding new ways to lose, unfortunately,” said BU coach Patrick Chambers. “It’s crazy.”

Freshman guard D.J. Irving paced the Terriers (9-12, 4-3 AE) with13 points and four assists, while senior forward John Holland (12 points), junior guard Darryl Partin (10) and junior guard Matt Griffin (10) rounded out BU’s double-digit scorers.

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Holland earns career record fifth straight game with 20 or more points in win over Seawolves

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

There were ten minutes left in the game when it happened.

The Boston University men’s basketball team had been playing catch-up all night long on Thursday in their matchup with Stony Brook University. The Seawolves (7-11, 2-4 America East) stole the lead from the beginning and had kept a firm grip on it.

The Terriers (9-11, 4-2 AE) battled, watching the point deficit shrink and grow from 10 to one to seven to one to nine and back to four. They had come close, but had never led, and they were desperate for the go-ahead shot that had been so elusive all game long. After all, time was running out.

BU rides Holland's 29 points en route to 67-62 win over SBU

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

Despite leading for less than one quarter of the game, the Boston University men’s basketball team rode a 29 point, seven rebound performance from senior forward John Holland to steal a 67-62 victory over Stony Brook University on Thursday evening.

The Seawolves (7-11, 2-4 America East) ran out to an early 21-11 lead in the game’s first nine minutes behind an 8-0 run by freshman guard Anthony Jackson and stifling defense on the other end of the floor.

BU’s (9-11, 4-2 AE) top scorers—Holland with 19.2 ppg and junior guard Darryl Partin with 13.2 ppg—were held in check throughout the first half to the tune of 12 points between them.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Grading the Terriers: 1/20 vs. Stony Brook

By Craig Meyer / DFP Staff

Senior forward John Holland: A

Simply put, Holland was the difference in this game, which may not be saying a whole lot in a five point game, but even if BU won by 20, he still would have been the difference. There is absolutely no way that the Terriers would have won this game without the preseason All-America East selection.

Holland finished the game with 29 points and seven rebounds -- the latter of which Chambers made a point to emphasize in the press conference -- but his importance goes far beyond the stat sheet. With BU trailing 47-45 with only ten minutes remaining, Holland helped kick-start a 13-2 run by the Terriers in which he scored, you guessed it, all 13 points for BU. His single-handed run gave his team a 56-49 lead that it would not look back from for the remainder of the game.

BU vs. Stony Brook Live Blog



Starting lineups:
Stony Brook University Seawolves

F Danny Carter
F Anthony Mayo
G Dave Coley
G Bryan Dougher
G Marcus Rouse

Boston University Terriers
F Dom Morris
F Travis Robinson
F Patrick Hazel
G D.J. Irving
G John Holland

Final score: BU 67, SBU 62

Team leaders:
Points

SBU: Dave Coley, 12
BU: John Holland, 29

Rebounds
SBU: Al Rapier, 5
BU: Patrick Hazel, 8

Assists
SBU: Dave Coley, Bryan Dougher and Al Rapier, 2
BU: D.J. Irving, 6

Clash of the AE Titans

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

After taking a sizable step backwards in its season after a 71-67 loss to cellar-dwelling University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the Boston University men’s basketball team returns home to take on Stony Brook University at Case Gymnasium.

The Terriers (8-11, 3-2 America East) bring a hobbling team into the game against the Seawolves (7-10, 2-3 America East), as junior forward Jake O’Brien remains sidelined with an injury and freshmen forward Dom Morris has only recently returned to the lineup from an injury of his own.

Compensating for these losses, BU has received key, elevated contributions from several players at different positions.

Junior guard Darryl Partin, a transfer from La Salle University, has averaged 17.8 points per game in BU’s five conference games. Additionally, senior forward John Holland, a preseason All-America East pick, has continued to assert control of the team, averaging 20.6 ppg and five rebounds per game.

From the FreeP: Great expectations for BU in America East play

By Luke Coughlan and René Reyes/DFP Staff

Patrick Chambers and his Boston University men’s basketball team don’t need any added pressure to win the America East conference title this season.

The Terriers’ 21-win campaign in 2009-10, their appearance in last year’s AE championship game and their semifinal showing in the third-annual College Basketball Invitational brought unfair expectations for this young, unproven squad.

Being tabbed as the favorite in the AE preseason coaches’ poll for the fourth straight year doesn’t make things any easier.

“I keep it simple and tell them, ‘We need to be the best team that we can be by the end of the year,’” Chambers said. “We already put enough pressure on ourselves, so we don’t need any extra. Our goal is to keep working hard every day, create good habits and create an environment that’s intense and similar to a game.

“We’re getting there. We’ve got young guys…They might be able to play 20 minutes. They’re not able, right now, to play 40. I’ve got to play those guys, and if I don’t play them, I’m an idiot…I’ve got to get them ready for the league.”

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

From the FreeP: Terriers rally past Albany, can’t hold on vs. UMBC

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

Only two days after it overcame a 16-point deficit against University at Albany to steal a 70-67 win on Saturday afternoon, the Boston University men’s basketball team found itself in a similar 13-point hole against University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Monday night.

Again, the Terriers battled back and led by nine with 4:45 remaining in the game, but this time, they forgot to hang on.

The Retrievers (2-16, 1-4 America East) ended the game with a 16-3 run to steal just their second win of the season from the Terriers (8-11, 3-2 AE) by a final of 71-67. Despite earning its first road win and season-high third straight win of the season against the Great Danes (9-12, 2-4 AE), BU was sent home from the bittersweet road trip with a 1-1 record and its sixth loss by four points or fewer.

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Monday, January 10, 2011

Defensive effort plays a major role in Terriers' second conference win

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team got 24 points from both senior forward John Holland and junior forward Darryl Partin and scored 74 points overall in its win against the University of Vermont, 74-65. That sort of an offensive effort against the 11-4, 2-1 America East Catamounts can not and should not go unnoticed. However, the most impressive aspect of the game remains the Terriers’ ability to hold the league’s second-best ranked offensive team – 69.2 points per game –in check throughout the afternoon. It’s time to credit the defense.

After the Terriers (7-10, 2-1 AE) earned their first AE victory against the University of New Hampshire on January 4, BU coach Patrick Chambers was not entirely happy with the team’s defensive effort.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

BU upsets Vermont, 74-65, behind 48 combined points from Holland, Partin

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

The University of Vermont had been a thorn in the Boston University men’s basketball team’s side lately, taking nine of the previous 10 meetings between the two squads, including an 83-70 decision in last year’s America East championship game.

But BU (7-10, 2-1 AE) put a quick stop to UVM’s recent success over it Sunday at Case Gymnasium and awarded coach Patrick Chambers with his first victory over Mike Lonergan’s Catamounts (11-4, 2-1 AE) in four tries.

Buoyed by 24 points apiece from senior forward John Holland and junior guard Darryl Partin, the Terriers upset the Catamounts, 74-65, and earned their most impressive win of the 2010-11 campaign before a crowd of 683 at The Roof despite not having the services of freshman forward Dom Morris and junior forward Jake O'Brien for a second straight game.

“Great America East battle,” Chambers said. “That’s what every game is gonna be. We played 40 minutes of BU basketball. We played hard. We played together. We played smart. We played with pride. It was nice to see.”

BU-UVM Press Conferences



BU vs. UVM Live Blog



Starting lineups:
University of Vermont Catamounts

F Brian Voelkel
F Evan Fjeld
F Matt Glass
G Joey Accaoui
G Brendan Bald

Boston University Terriers
F John Holland
F Patrick Hazel
C Jeff Pelage
G Darryl Partin
G D.J. Irving

Final score: BU 74, UVM 65

Team leaders:
Points

UVM: Brendan Bald, 12
BU: John Holland and Darryl Partin, 24

Rebounds
UVM: Brian Voelkel, 12
BU: Darryl Partin and Jeff Pelage, 8

Assists
UVM: Brian Voelkel, 4
BU: D.J. Irving, 4

Friday, January 7, 2011

UNH Notebook: Hazel rises to the occasion for Terriers

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

University of New Hampshire coach Bill Herrion referred to Boston University men’s basketball tri-captain Patrick Hazel as “a blue-collar kind of lunch pail guy” following the Terriers’ 61-54 win over the Wildcats Wednesday at Case Gymnasium.

But he didn’t mean it in a disrespectful manner.

“[Hazel] just does all the dirty work around the bucket,” Herrion said, “and when you have one of those kind of guys at this level, in this league, it’s a real commodity.”

The 6-foot-6 transfer from Marquette University notched eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and game-highs of 10 rebounds and six blocks in 29 minutes against UNH in his best performance yet as a collegiate player.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

BU earns first AE conference victory over UNH, 61-54, in fourth game in seven days

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team has the power of attitude on its side.

Or, at least, that’s what it's pursuing. The Terriers took an intense blow to their lineup just three games after junior center Jeff Pelage returned to the starting five. After a contest with the University of Massachusetts- Amherst on New Year’s Eve, it was announced that junior forward Jake O’Brien would be day-to-day with an ankle injury along with freshman forward Dom Morris.

The Terriers began to unravel. The team looked afraid to shoot and lost at times on the defensive side of the ball against the University of Maine in its America East conference opener. It lost, 65-52. However, playing their fourth game in seven days against the University of New Hampshire at Case Gymnasium, the Terriers regained their confidence even without O’Brien and Morris, erased a halftime deficit of three points and earned a 61-54 victory.

BU-UNH Press Conferences



Monday, January 3, 2011

BU vs. UNH Live Blog

BREAKING NEWS: Junior forward Jake O'Brien and freshman forward Dom Morris are both out for Tuesday's game versus the University of New Hampshire. O'Brien suffered an ankle injury last Friday against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Morris will be sidelined for the next 1-2 weeks with a non-basketball related injury. BU will dress 11 players for tonight's matchup.



Starting lineups:
University of New Hampshire Wildcats

F Chandler Rhoads
F Brian Benson
C Dane DiLiegro
G Jordon Bronner
G Tyrone Conley

Boston University Terriers
F John Holland
F Dom Morris
C Patrick Hazel
G Darryl Partin
G D.J. Irving

Saturday, January 1, 2011

BU unable to spur comeback in 71-54 loss to UMass on New Year's Eve

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team all but concluded its non-conference slate of games on Friday with a 71-54 loss at the hands of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The game, which saw the Terriers fight back from a concerning 0-for-10 start and tie it at halftime, only to fall back into an offensive stupor late in the second half, dropped BU to 5-9 on the season and 21-16 in the year 2010.

After dropping an 82-81 decision to Quinnipiac University less than 48 hours earlier, the Terriers came out of the gate swinging on the defensive side of the ball against the Minutemen (9-4), an aspect of their game that was sorely missing versus QU. After UMass went up 4-2 on two sophomore forward Terrell Vinson layups and two made free throws from Terrier senior forward John Holland, the Terriers played lockdown defense and were the beneficiaries of multiple Minutemen mistakes as well.